Unique 19th Century Ethiopian Golden Caterpillar Robot. Unique work of Swiss jeweler and watch maker Henri Maillardet Caterpillar luxurious jewellery

Caterpillar luxurious jewellery
Created for some wealthy Chinese aristocrat, 200-year-old masterpiece of high jewellery is still in excellent working condition. Sold at auction in 2010, it fetched a price of more than $415,000. It joins five other such caterpillars known to exist, all of which reside in prestigious art collections.
At one time, robots amused wealthy collectors and art enthusiasts. This stunning caterpillar automaton from approximately 1820 is a wonder of both artistry and workmanship. The materials for Ethiopian Caterpillar include rubies, diamonds, emeralds, pearls, and turquoise all set in gold. The eleven jointed ring segments combine to form a “body” make crawling realistic. Noteworthy, its body moves up and down by means of a set of gilt-metal knurled wheels.
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Brooch. Gold, Silver, Freshwater Pearl and Diamond. Swan jewellery kaleidoscope

Swan jewellery kaleidoscope
According to Celtic folklore, swan is a transformed human, or even a bewitched nun. Noteworthy, to see seven swans flying brings good luck, because seven years of good luck would follow. Also, seeing a multiple of seven brought that many more years of good luck. Hurting or killing a swan, conversely, brought bad luck to oneself and one’s entire community. Swan maiden is Celtic folkloric figure.
The story of a young woman who is half-bird appears throughout the ancient Celtic lands. Sometimes the girl was said to be under an enchantment, which might or might not be broken; other times, no reason was given for the maiden’s double nature. In the dark of night, such maidens took off their swan plumage and left it beside the lakes in which they swam, naked and beautiful. Should a man find the feather cloak of such a woman, he could make her his wife by stealing it, whereupon she became a happy and hardworking help-meet. Should the swan maiden ever find her feathers, she instantly converted herself to bird form and flew away, leaving her children behind without so much as a backward glance.
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Beautiful red flower, Christmas star Poinsettia

Christmas star Poinsettia
On Christmas eve it is customary in European countries to give Poinsettia as a gift. Poinsettia is a very beautiful plant, topped with huge crimson flowers resembling stars. Very elegant and festive, Poinsettia creates joyful mood. There are varieties of cream, white and pink color, but the most popular is still red.
The star-shaped leaf pattern symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus. Traditionally, poinsettia decorates Christmas homes, churches, offices and stores.
Modern varieties of poinsettia are more branched, more decorative and much less demanding. Moreover, with the help of modern chemicals became possible to control the dimensions of the plant. Therefore, modern poinsettia are compact (30-45 cm tall) and currently there are more than 2000 species.
Noteworthy, December 12 is National Poinsettia Day in the United States.
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Filigree jeweled pendant. Precious triad Cross-Anchor-Heart

Precious triad Cross-Anchor-Heart
Faith, hope and love – three Christian virtues, mentioned in the first letter to the Corinthians from the Apostle Paul. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:13)” These virtues are of great importance for Christianity.
For thousands of years, these three signs of triad are an allegory to describe the three main Christian virtues: faith, hope and love. Together, they symbolize the Holy Trinity. In Europe, you can meet these designations in architecture, ornaments and patterns. Sometimes artists portray the Virgin and angels that keep the allegorical subjects.
Noteworthy, the jewelers often depicted the triad in their works in the late 18-19 centuries. According to belief, Cross – Anchor – Heart symbols came into vogue in the 1830s, and are still popular.
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Victorian brooch in the form of a dove and a horseshoe, 1880s, symbolizing luck, peace and love. Horseshoe jewellery kaleidoscope

Horseshoe jewellery kaleidoscope
A friend was visiting the famous atom scientist, Nobel Prize winner Niels Bohr in his home. During the talking, the friend kept staring at a horseshoe hanging over the door. At last, his curiosity made him ask:
“Niels, it can’t possibly be that you, a brilliant scientist, believe the foolish horseshoe superstition?!”
“Of course I don’t,” replied the scientist. “But I understand it’s lucky whether you believe in it or not.”
Belief in lucky horseshoe quality – one of the most common modern superstitions among many people, regardless of religion – Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and atheists. Everyone believes that a horseshoe brings good luck to the house, but not everyone knows where this belief has come from.
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Desktop sculpture of a monkey princess in a Russian folk dress, making photo with a Selfie stick, handmade jewelry by masters of Kostroma. Symbol of 2016 Monkey in jewellery

Symbol of 2016 Monkey in jewellery
To be precise – Fire Monkey, according to Chinese horoscope. Monkey has an artistic and eccentric nature, and at the same time strong intuition. Willful, capricious and unpredictable – it’s hard to guess what it is thinking about at the moment. Its actions are absolutely unpredictable and can change depending on the mood – it is as good and fun as aggressive and angry. The symbol of 2016 likes to travel, mountains, beautiful nature and new experiences.
To build serious plans and wait for global change in 2016 does not make sense: the monkey will do everything on its own. Just take it easy, because it is also doing its utmost for love, well-being and prosperity. Although not all like monkey’s antics and whims, after a fairly quiet year of Goat many will have to rebuild themselves for some time, adapting to the unpredictable nature of the Fire Monkey.
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Christmas and New Year’s Gothic Christmas style

It would seem that our favorite holidays – Christmas and New Year’s day are very traditional, homemade, and even conservative. Their symbols are well-known and loved: fluffy green herringbone, flashing garlands, tinsel, glass balls, toys, snowmen, Santa Claus or Santa with reindeer, snowflakes … Some very old decorations are taken out of boxes were stored by generations of parents, grandparents, decorations from their childhood. People buy luxury sets of balls to celebrate this important holiday. The Goths and other fans of dark romance are not the exception. Gothic subculture followers thoroughly decorate Christmas interior filling it with Victorian style, post-punk, neo-Gothic decorations reminiscent of the style of Tim Burton – Memento Mori Christmas.
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